Bullet Fired in Rage Ended the Life of a Husband and Father of 2: What Can Be Done to Restore Civility?

Derek Flemming and his son, Julian, now 8, were beautifully captured in this photo. (Photo: ©Flemming Photography via Derek Flemming Memorial public Facebook page)

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Our lead story, “Little Girl’s Heartbreaking Discovery After Daddy Dies in Road Rage,” offers a heart-burdening glimpse of what happens after a split-second decision made in the heat of rage.

Little Lily Flemming, who turned 6 two days after Derek Flemming was killed in a deadly road rage encounter, told her grandmother “a bullet killed daddy” and she thought he was made of iron.

Lily’s brother, Julian, 8, wants to invent a “back-inator” so he can bring his father back to life, Amy Flemming posted on the Derek Flemming Memorial Facebook page:

“Tonight our son, who has so far been pretty quiet about his daddy’s death, spoke out to me. It was just the two of us. He said, ‘I want to grow up to be just like Daddy. I want to follow in his footsteps.’ I told him that I thought he would and that Daddy loved him so much that he would look out for him and guide him. I also asked him what his favorite thing about Daddy is. He said, ‘That he always played with us everyday.’ He also said he wanted to invent the ‘back-inator’ so he could bring Daddy back to life. I shouldn’t have to have these sorts of conversations with my kids.”

No. No, she shouldn’t. So tell us:

• What can each of us as individuals do to restore civility so parents never have to help their young children understand deaths wrought by violence? Use our Disqus commenting system below to comment on this and other stories in Patch’s Baker’s Dozen.

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